Think positive for a sec... What do you like about it?

With all the negativity around here the past two days I'd like to try and think positively about FCP X for a few moments and hopefully learn something good. I have one simple question... What do you guys like about it? I don't care if you call me an unrealistic optimist but I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one. I'll start with a few of my own in no particular order:

- The UI and overall responsiveness
- Background rendering
- The magnetic timeline and the possibilities it could have with updates
- 64-bit
- GPU acceleration at last
- Having Logic audio plugins readily available
- A REAL text tool
- (Somewhat) easily customizable effects when Motion 5 is installed
- Metadata and keywords and the possibilities it could have with updates
- Easily viewable real-time previews of effects
- Simplifying certain tasks like keyframing
- The fact that the foundation for many more "pro" updates seems to be there to me
- The fact that most keyboard shortcuts seem to be the same as the old FCP =)

Well, the most positive thing I can say is the list you've compiled is absolutely wonderful. I love every one of those features. it's just too bad they are not the new features in FCP 8. Features that i could use on the twenty or so projects i am now working on. Features that would help me finish these projects faster and more creatively, so I could pass the timeline onto color for proper grading, or an OMF of my 10-12 audio tracks to my sound designers and audio mixers. I know I am preaching to the choir, but the more I read the more depressed I get.

My only light at the end of the tunnel is thinking about Apple's usual patterns for release and upgrade. People are pointing to the death of Shake, but I don't think Shake had even a fraction of the user base of FCP. Ultimately it might not have been profitable to maintain Shake development against other high end competition from Autodesk, etc.

How about Apple's most major release in recent years. Remember the iPhone without Copy/Paste? How about with only web apps, no App Store? They released the product and then aggressively pursued ecosystem development. FCPX is as major of a redesign as possible, and the 64-bit architecture seems to be equal parts impressive and powerful. It has major potential. To me the real tragedy is Apple's marketing of this former professional product in its elementary state, scalping a major portion of an entire industry and starting this frenzy of concern.

I'm still freaking out too. Definitely because of the uncertainty of how much is missing from FCPX, but mostly for how this new program is structured for not allowing user customization -- a key sign of a consumer program. If we had the same lame-duck feature wise FCPX that still showed hope of actual professional adaptability (custom Timeline options, custom Event directories, custom layout options, custom view options etc) I think the fervor would be far quieter.

The most telling thing is that for the first time ever, we can install FCPX side by side with FCP7. Ultimately I have no problem with the rudimentary state of FCPX as long as development is coming and I can continue working on a stable feature rich FCP7. Let's just hope Apple keeps an ear to the market and actually listens. The first update needs to be substantial. Otherwise this just turns into a major tragedy for our entire industry.

Great post. I think we can expect Apple to expand from here until this blossoms into a great professional editor. I really like the foundation here but I do wish Apple continued to support FCP 7 along with FCP X. Pro video editors have very different expectations from iMovie or iPhone users and there's a pretty strong legacy here that they have to continue.

[Keith Bress]"I really like the foundation here but I do wish Apple continued to support FCP 7 along with FCP X."

To possibly put your mind at ease, if the past tells us something, FCP 7 will be around for a few years with stores like Amazon selling it for awhile. And in its current state it's a great product that will continue to do what it does and do it well. Keep your serial number safe and all should be how it was a week ago until you either jump ship or FCP X matures. I'm hoping for the latter.

Adding to Jonathan's thoughts, you still have FCP 7 and it still works great so that has to give you at least a small grin. Plus we live in exciting times that there are some excellent alternatives out there, too. FCP X is just another option that hopefully will become the option once it matures like the first Final Cut did. And if not, once again there are great alternatives so hopefully that makes you at least 3% less depressed.

+1 on all of that. I especially like the Motion integration. Using Motion to make a Text template to bounce instantly to the FCPX effects panel is awesome. It's cool how FCPX can natively interprete the Motion behaviors.

I can see the benefit in the Magnetic Timeline but I really wish there was also a classic mode to use the FCP timeline the way we all are accustomed to. How difficult could that be? The main benefit of the FCP platform historically has been flexibility in the way you like to edit. I would love to see some of the choices return.

I also really like the way the Effects/Transitions/Audio/Photos etc are grouped in the bottom right with iTunes and Aperture integration. Very accessible and stops the chronic Finder bouncing to pull additional music/sound FX/stills.

I love the native 4K support -- huge potential in the future.

I am starting to see the benefit in the way Events group all of your media together on the storage device, but MUST have custom directory support ASAP. Shocking this is missing.

I'm trying to be positive but still sitting on the fence. Very curious how Apple will respond to all the negativity from launch.

[Jonathan Dortch]"I can see the benefit in the Magnetic Timeline but I really wish there was also a classic mode to use the FCP timeline the way we all are accustomed to."

I've been playing around with the Position tool (Keyboard Shortcut "P") to help in that area. Not exactly the same but pretty useful once you get around the whole "primary storyline" and "secondary storylines" mentality. Check it out in the manual. And if you haven't gotten a chance to read through the manual it's definitely worth reading and would quiet some of the fears people are having.

[Jonathan Dortch]"I am starting to see the benefit in the way Events group all of your media together on the storage device, but MUST have custom directory support ASAP. Shocking this is missing."

AGREED! I'm an organizational nut and don't like having unnecessary folders all over the place. I am getting by for now creating folders inside of FCPX in the events and projects areas. Absolutely necessary to maintain some sort of sanity.

I took Tony's advice and I'm actually reading the manual tonight after two days of poking around. The Position tool actually quiets a lot of my bitching about the timeline :) I like being able to move clips around freely without rippling everything.

The more I play around with the new timeline it's kind of interesting... to me it's really more of an adoption of the more locked Avid timeline system (linear rippling, required gap clips) paired with some classic FCP tools and this new clip connection system to further enforce sync. Still trying to sort out the benefits/intricacies of this storyline system.

I do find all the talk of jumping to Premiere pretty funny... though I haven't touched it in years. I'm a huge AE fan, but Premiere is the one app of the Creative Suite I've just never seen used professionally. Not that this won't change, but I've never come across any shops that use it, and as a freelancer I think you'll be hard pressed to find any clients wanting their work done in Premiere. Avid will probably always have it's place, but in my experience for NLE's in a professional environment, it's been a two horse race for the last decade. I just can't fathom Apple abandoning the immense success of FCP.

Just tried running my hands over the new FCP & soon I did a little test.

I imported few H.264 videos (without converting), edited them & exported them as H.264 MOV files.

The process was not as smooth as a ProRes based edit but it was stable on the whole. Ultimately, the time saved converting all that H.264 footage to ProRes & then Converting the master to H.264 sure as hell beat the smooth editing that we are used to with other intermediate codecs.

EDIT : Oh ! one thing, so much for stability, FCP-X crashed while making thumbnails, but a restart revealed everything to be in its prior state.

Thanks so much to those that chimed in though it looks to be a bit too soon to have this conversation on here. It will get better, it always does but for now I just wrote out my thoughts on my personal site in hopes to have an encouraging conversation with friends for the next couple of weeks. If you guys got a site of your own you could try that.